I wanna put it in her butt all day-

[Charlie Boy II]

Because if a man is a nurse he feels obliged, as the poster above was, to put "male" in front of it. "I'm a "male" nurse." Which I would f-cking hate. I bet you that puts a lot of guys off. Also I think the term carries connotations that undervalues the profession. I'm not exactly Mr PC, but I know in Australia we suffer from a huge shortage of nurses. As a profession it could do with a bit more prestige.

[IndiReloaded]

Why? I don't go around telling anyone I'm a "female" scientist. They can just say 'I'm a nurse'.

As far as prestige goes, nurses are just bad at speaking up for themselves, as a profession. They should be reminding ppl that a large part of what physicians do (diagnosis) is very soon to be replaced by a computer algorithm.

Until we get a good AI android, tho, I expect that comforting bedside nurse will be around for a while.

[Charlie Boy II]

You don't go around saying I'm a "female scientist" because it's a gender neutral term. I know you're going to argue with me, but the term "nurse" still isn't. Not completely anyhow.

[DoesntMatter]

They should be reminding ppl that a large part of what physicians do (diagnosis) is very soon to be replaced by a computer algorithm.

Haha, come on. Computer programs can't replace a physician, and they won't. They might find more use as a tool to the physician, but they won't replace one

You put too much emphasis on computers and use it as an excuse for dumbing down the knitty gritty details of science, or even not even knowing it. Like what you were talking about with organic chemistry and drug synthesis. Computer programs won't take the place of synthetic chemists, because at the very least, synthetic chemists will go to work to make the programs for THEIR OWN use. Such as physical organic chemistry, one of the most badass areas of chemistry

But mainly, as far as computer programs go in aiding chemistry, it will only put a greater and greater emphasis on physical chemistry. Physical chemistry being mainly math. Computers now aren't even powerful enough to do useful p. chem calculations on proteins. Their practical use is still quite limited

Basically, chemistry is going to start going a lot heavier towards the physical chemistry stuff. Luckily I'm starting quantum mechanics in just over 2 weeks

[IndiReloaded]

Well, DM, I won't argue the point. You admitted a deficiency in bioinformatics & computers, so I will simply suggest you learn more. You are entrenched in status quo, but progress goes on, like it or not.

I never said computers will replace physicians. I said they will replace the diagnostic portion of what they do. In fact, this is already happening. And, at present, there is a huge emphasis on this in general medicine. It means this aspect of an MDs job can be refocused elsewhere. That's a GOOD thing.

The creative aspects of science & medicine will remain, that will always be true. No computer will be doing a delicate surgery. But diagnosis is largely an algorithm with input data & likely outputs (differential diagnoses). All that will be needed beyond that is the equivalent of a medical manager (w/an MD degree) to sign off that he agrees w/the diagnosis as being the most likely.

Don't go getting all defensive just b/c you want to be an MD, babe. Just try to think instead about how these tools will allow you to spend more time on what medicine should *really* be about: the patient.

[DoesntMatter]

My knowledge of computers isn't that bad, I mean I have some backkground. My dad taught me to program in C++ when I was like 12 and I built myself a gaming computer in 8th grade, took some Javascript and HTML class freshman year of high schol

As for bioinformatics... I would rather watch paint dry. But hey, I will take a serious class in it sometime in my undergrad career

But again, physical chemists are the ones who make the tools

[DoesntMatter]

Actually, we did cover some techniques of bioinformatics in general biology. I am trying to remember the name of the program we used for matching DNA sequences but cannot. We had to bring out laptops in for that lab section

[IndiReloaded]

But again, physical chemists are the ones who make the tools

If you want to get technical, its actually the physicists who created most of the science programs you use, at least if you use unix-based stuff. And physicists don't think much of the size of chemists' penises... and so on.

[DoesntMatter]

Physical chemists are physicists. Physical = physics

The programs my professor during this summer session used was created by a physical organic chemist

[IndiReloaded]

Physical chemists are physicists. Physical = physics

No, they aren't. Sorry, I live with one.

And before you argue further w/me, PChems usually hold faculty appts in Chemistry departments. They might have some cross over w/physics, but like I said, most physicists wouldn't consider a PChem a physicist. Tho they might find them more interesting than, say, a biochemist to talk to.

[url]http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/www/faculty/physical.html[/url]

[DoesntMatter]

Now you're just using that for a convenient argument. Who do you live with, a physicist or physical chemist?

Physics may be the broadest science there is, you can break it down into physical chemistry, electromagnetism, optics, astrophysics, particle physics, thermodynamics, the list goes on

You should know how trivial those classifications are. Their interest is in chemistry, and in applying physics to chemistry. I'm a biochemistry major, but not associated with the chem department. I'm in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. You should know how trivial those names are

[IndiReloaded]

Now you're just using that for a convenient argument. Who do you live with, a physicist or physical chemist?

An honest-to-god MIT Theoretical Physicist. Just like Feynman & just like in the movies. Doesn't get much more intellectually snotty than that, hun.

[DoesntMatter]

An honest-to-god MIT Theoretical Physicist. Just like Feynman & just like in the movies. Doesn't get much more intellectually snotty than that, hun.

What's he doing in Vancouver? The snotty Boston attitude shouldn't have been able to chase him away

It would make sense though that you would make that call on physical chemistry being your husband isn't a physical chemist. Have you taken classes in physical chemistry before?

[IndiReloaded]

Now you're just using that for a convenient argument. Who do you live with, a physicist or physical chemist?

Physics may be the broadest science there is, you can break it down into physical chemistry, electromagnetism, optics, astrophysics, particle physics, thermodynamics, the list goes on.

All those are considered sub disciplines of physics except for PChem, like I already said. Don't blame me, that's just how the arrogant buggers think. If you told a physicist in any of those other fields I bolded you were doing PChem, they would think of you as a chemist, not a physicist. That's why I said about where most PChems hold appointments in Chem Departments. Its where they would be happiest. The physics dudes in the other fields couldn't give a crap talking to someone doing chemistry, for the most part.

[DoesntMatter]

Classification systems can only do so well. The first semester of physical chemistry here is quantum mechanics, which, IIRC, are what the physicists jumping into particle physics take. The second semester is when the focus becomes more on chemistry, with a molecular approach